


Unfolding Quite Wonderfully

by McDanno_Girl



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: 4x19 Coda, Angst, Episode Related, M/M, Pining, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-18
Updated: 2014-04-19
Packaged: 2018-01-19 20:22:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1482682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/McDanno_Girl/pseuds/McDanno_Girl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny gets hurt. Steve pines. In other words: must be Friday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [angstydaydreams](https://archiveofourown.org/users/angstydaydreams/gifts).



> 4.19 coda written as a birthday gift for my internet soulmate AngstyDaydreams. This turned more Steve centric than originally planned but I hope there's enough Danny whumpage in it to make up for there not being a hospital scene in the episode.
> 
> Title comes from Sylvia Plath: “So many people are shut up tight inside themselves like boxes, yet they would open up, unfolding quite wonderfully, if only you were interested in them.”

_The loneliest moment in someone’s life_  
 _is when they are watching their whole world fall apart,_  
 _and all they can do is stare blankly._  
 _\- The Great Gatsby ___

Steve sat in the uncomfortable chair by Danny's hospital bed staring at the floor. The muted beeping of the heart monitor seemed to echo in his head but he didn't want to turn the sound off. It, and the soft rythmic whooshing of the breathing machine were his only reassurances that Danny was still alive. Unconscious, and in serious condition. But alive.

Steve still wasn't sure what happened. Danny had been fine. More than fine. And then he simply wasn't.

This was all his fault. If he hadn't pulled that rebar out of Danny's abdomen. If he hadn't pushed Danny into helping so much. No. If he hadn't done all that, they'd both probably still be down there. Dead or dying from lack of oxygen. 

But Danny had been fine dammit. Talking, laughing, teasing like normal. Then he turned to start walking towards Amber and Grace and just collapsed. 

Steve could remember Grace yelling out. 

He could remember Amber doing her best to hold Grace back while the paramedics rushed in. 

He could remember seeing them start CPR.

He could remember feeling like he couldn't breathe. 

And then it was all a blur. Riding in the ambulance. Danny being rushed into surgery. The endless waiting. Words like concussion, internal bleeding, ruptured, infection, and lucky to be alive being said to him.

The unconsciousness was medically induced thank fuck. And the breathing machine was merely a precaution as Danny's lungs were never quite like they were before the sarin scare a few years back. Breathing in a pound of parking structure dust today certainly didn't do them any favors.

Precaution only or not, Steve was still worried. Danny was too pale. Too lifeless. He looked so small lying there without his bluster and his personality and his ever moving hands filling up space.

Even though the doctors claimed that Danny was going to be just fine, that he should be waking up anytime now, Steve refused to leave his side. 

He moved the chair closer to the bed and clasped Danny's hand in his, interlacing their fingers together. He didn't care how it looked. He didn't care if his feelings about Danny were obvious to everyone. He had to be here when Danny woke up. 

It wouldn't be real unless he was here to witness it himself. 

He shifted around until he could lay his head down on the edge of the bed. He was so tired. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep but maybe closing his eyes for a few minutes would help his headache. Clear his mind.

Instead, all he could think about was the past year and all that had happened to bring him and Danny to this moment.

~H~5~0~

It had been one of those cases. The kind where you do everything right and it still turns out oh so very wrong. This time a little girl not much younger than Grace was involved. Cases with kids always hit Danny hard and this one was worse than usual.

They were sitting on Steve's couch pretending to watch some bad action movie. Danny let out a long sigh and laid his head on the back of the couch. Steve couldn't help but stare a little. Couldn't help but notice how Danny's fatigue made the lines around his eyes that much clearer.

It made Steve's heart break a little. Danny should never be this unhappy, this broken. He wanted to do something to make Danny's pain go away.

It would be so easy to curl his hand around the back of Danny's neck. Pull him close. Kiss away his demons. And so he did. 

Danny's mouth opened to his almost instantly. The kiss was slow, gentle. Just the two of them learning each others taste and feel. 

Now that he had a taste though, Steve wanted more. 

Before Steve could wonder if he was going too fast or wanting too much too soon, he heard himself whisper “fuck me” against Danny's mouth.

Danny pulled away and Steve thought for sure he'd blown it. Ruined everything. Danny was going to leave. But he just stared into Steve's eyes for a long moment, nodded, then kissed him again before untangling himself from Steve and walking upstairs.

Steve was right behind him and they walked into Steve's room together. Danny turned to him and in that moment he looked so lost, so uncertain. Maybe a little frightened.

Steve stepped close and cupped Danny's face in his hands and kissed him, trying to tell him without words how much he wanted this. How much he wanted Danny. 

Between kisses and exploring hands, they managed to get themselves undressed and on the bed. Steve wanted to take some time to fully map out every inch of Danny's body but the immediate want and need was too great. He fumbled in his nightstand drawer for the bottle of lube he kept there then rolled onto his stomach after finding it and handing it to Danny.

Danny ran a hand down Steve's spine causing him to shiver. Steve shifted so he was up on his knees a little. And then Danny was tonguing the cleft of his ass as he slid one cool, slicked finger inside.

Danny prepped him quickly. One finger becoming two, then three in what felt like no time at all. Steve was torn between being jealous that Danny had obviously done this before and being grateful because it had been a long time since... well, Freddie. His first and only.

When Danny was apparently satisfied that Steve was ready, he draped himself across Steve's back and pushed in slowly, whispering soft nothings against Steve's shoulder between wet kisses.

Once Danny was fully buried in him, he stopped. Steve whimpered, needing Danny to move. He thought he heard Danny say something about it being too good but then Danny finally started moving and all coherent thought left Steve's head.

Steve came first. He wanted to make it last but Danny's deep, slow thrusts unerringly hitting that oh so sweet spot each time coupled with his hand stroking Steve's cock in rhythm had been too much. Danny came with a loud groan not long after.

They lay like that for a long time. Danny's now soft cock still inside Steve as he nuzzled and licked at Steve's neck. Steve drifted in and out of sleep in a haze of pleasure. At some point, he felt Danny slide out and he weakly started to protest but was silenced by Danny's quiet “Shh baby, just getting something to clean us up.” 

He was back a few minutes later and Steve felt Danny's fingers followed by a soft, damp cloth gently check then clean him. Then Danny was crawling back into bed and Steve turned to his side to pull him close.

He fell asleep that night wrapped around Danny, Danny's face against his chest and his head tucked under his chin.

The next morning, Danny was gone.

Monday at the office, Danny acted as if nothing had happened. If it wasn't for the already fading marks on his shoulder Steve would've thought it was nothing more than a vivid fantasy.

Life went on not all that much different from how it was before. Danny still yelled at him. Still had no concept of personal space when it came to Steve. Still seemed to know Steve better than Steve knew himself.

But they never talked about what had happened. And it never happened again.

Then Gabby came back to the island and no matter how he felt about Danny, no matter how much he craved what didn't seem to be his to have, Steve still wanted nothing more than for Danny to be happy. 

So he listened to Danny talk about her. Gently nudged Danny towards making a future with her even when Steve wanted nothing more than ship her back to India. Or Brazil. Or wherever the fuck it was she was doing research – especially after she stood Danny up at the airport. But Danny really cared about her. And that was all that mattered. 

As long as Danny was happy and stayed on the island, Steve could learn to let it be enough.

He threw himself into work more than usual. He asked Catherine to move in with him when she decided to resign from the Navy. He helped her through the loss of her lifelong career and through the loss of Billy. He even asked her to join the Five-0 team. 

It soon became apparent though that loving someone and being in love with them were two different things. Too much time together made them both realize it wasn't going to work out. She wasn't the one.

She wasn't Danny.

So they parted ways. Friends still, always, though no longer with benefits.

By that time, Danny was talking about Amber. Steve hadn't met her yet but with as much as Danny was mentioning her, he knew they had to be seeing each other pretty often. 

Once again he found himself in the position of pushing Danny towards a woman when what he really wanted was to ask, “Why not me?”

Instead, he talked Danny into giving Amber a real chance. 

As long as Danny was happy though, it would almost be enough. 

~H~5~0~

The feel of Danny moving breaks Steve out of his thoughts. He lifts his head and sees Danny's eyes are open, full of panic. He hears the beeping of the heart monitor getting faster. Steve presses the call button then stands up and tries to get Danny to focus on him.

“Hey, hey. It's OK.” His voice is low, calm. Not at all how he's feeling right now but it won't help Danny any to let on how scared he is. He brushes Danny's hair back out of his face. His touch seems to be soothing Danny so he keeps on brushing his hair back, almost petting him. “You're OK Danno. You're fine. There's a breathing tube down your throat but you're going to be fine.”

The nurses and doctor arrive then and Steve steps back to let them work. They turn off the breathing machine and remove it. Danny answers a few of their questions, his voice rough after the events of the day and his throat still raw from the tube.

They give Danny a few ice chips, check his eyes, check his stitches, make some notes in his chart, and then as quickly as they came, they are gone again. 

Danny's eyes are closed and Steve thinks he might have fallen asleep. He knows he should call Grace and the team to let them all know Danny is awake but he can't seem to make himself move. He can't tear his eyes away from the sight of Danny's chest rising and falling, breathing on his own.

“Stop being creepy and come here.” Danny whispers, his eyes blinking open again.

Steve steps close to the bed but neither of them say or do anything for several minutes. Finally, Steve says, “I should call Grace. Amber. The team. They're worried about you. I told them all to go home, get some sleep. That I'd keep watch.”

He starts to turn to walk away but stops when he feels Danny's hand circle his wrist.

“I'm sorry.” 

“I get it man. I do.” Steve has no idea what Danny has to be sorry about right now but it seems like the right thing to say.

Danny shakes his head, the movement causing him to wince. But his grip on Steve's wrist remains. “You need to know I meant it.”

“Meant what?”

“What I said. After we were out.” Danny's voice was now barely a whisper and it was obvious every word he uttered was causing him a lot of pain. Steve opens his mouth to tell Danny they can talk about this later but Danny just squeezes his wrist tighter. 

“That night after you fell asleep, all I could do was lay there and think of all the ways it was going to go wrong. You'd start to hate me. We wouldn't be able to separate work from personal. That you'd fucking die on me.” There was a long pause. “I panicked and I'm sorry.”

Steve thinks he should say something. Assure Danny that he was terrified of all those things too, and more. But he's never been good at expressing himself. 

“I'm glad you're OK buddy.” 

Something like disappointment, or maybe hurt flashes in Danny's eyes and he lets go of Steve's wrist. 

Steve feels like he's about to lose something he never thought he could have. And no. Just no. 

“I meant it too,” he says quickly.

Danny lets out a deep breath. “I'm not too late?”

Steve takes Danny's hand in his and once again interlaces their fingers together. “No Danny. You're not too late.”

They grin stupidly at each other then Danny's eyes close and he falls asleep. Steve wants to wake him up so they can talk about what's going to happen next but Danny needs his rest. 

And Steve needs to call his ohana.

_The only time we waste_  
 _is the time we spend thinking we are alone._  
 _\- The Five People You Meet in Heaven_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The bunny for this one just kept nibbling. And I think that maybe, just maybe, I've included enough Danny whump to please even angstydaydreams this time around. I have a feeling the Steve and Danny in this 'verse aren't done with me yet so don't be surprised if another chapter or fic appears in the future.

_When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us,_  
 _we often find that it is those who,_  
 _instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures,_  
 _have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand._  
 _\- Henri Nouwen_

Danny's ride home from the hospital five days later is fragmented at best. Steve's helping him into the Camaro. He blinks. They're on the highway. He blinks again and he's alone in the car. Walgreens. Steve is probably picking up his prescriptions.

Another blink and Steve's back, putting something in the backseat. He sees that Danny's eyes are open and brushes his hand across Danny's cheek and Danny can't help but lean into it. 

“Go back to sleep Danno.” Steve's voice is hushed, soothing.

“'M not sleepin'” 

A soft chuckle. “If you say so.”

The next time Danny blinks, they're pulling into Steve's driveway. Wait. What?

“Steven.” Danny tries to sound stern but he's too tired, too muzzy from his pain medication. And from not sleeping in the car.

“You OK? In pain? Need some of your meds?” Steve's voice has a note of panic in it and Danny would find that endearing, maybe just a little bit adorable, if he wasn't so annoyed.

“You were supposed to take me home.” Danny's annoyance grows when he sees that the bastard doesn't have the decency to look repentant. Not even a little bit.

“My house was closer.”

Danny doesn't dignify that with a response. He just glares at Steve's smug face.

“If you want me to take you home Danny, I will. Your house is great, much better than those germ factories you used to live in, but I thought you might like to sit on the beach. Get some fresh air. I could cook up some dinner, whatever you want. And you need someone to help you for the next few days. Doctor's orders, remember? It doesn't have to be - “

He stops talking when Danny places his hand high on Steve's thigh. Danny had actually been aiming for his knee but hey, muzzy from the pain meds. And knowing that his hand near Steve's dick could shut him up was useful knowledge to have.

Danny wishes he could sit here and enjoy watching Steve's face as he stares at Danny's thumb tracing circles against his thigh but the afternoon heat was starting to get to him. “Steve?”

Steve blinks with a tiny shake of his head then looks at Danny. Desire mixed with a little bit of confusion was a good look on him. 

“Help me inside?”

That gets Steve moving. 

“Don't even think about carrying me,” he says when Steve opens the car door for him. “I can walk I'll have you know. I just need a little help getting up.” He tries to turn so he can get his legs out of the car but his wound twinges. “OK, maybe a lot of help.”

Steve puts Danny's arm around his shoulders and gets him out of the car and unto his feet. Danny sways a little but Steve is right there holding him up.

Taking small, shuffling steps, they get Danny into the house and settled on the couch. 

Steve sets Danny's various prescription bottles on the coffee table next to a glass of water. Danny knows he should sit up and at least take his vicodin. But the couch is comfortable. And moving would require far too much effort.

He'll take them in a minute. 

~H~5~0~

Danny wakes up in agony. It feels like someone is trying to tear open his wound and rip out his insides. Nothing has ever hurt this much. Even getting shot. 

It hurt to breathe. It hurt to move. Fuck, it even hurt to think about moving. 

“Steve,” his voice is hardly a whisper and just that causes his body to convulse in pain. 

He tries to reach for his pill bottles but the pain is unbearable and he only manages to knock them off the table. 

Steve must have heard the noise though because he comes racing into the room.

“Danny. Shit! I'm so sorry.” 

Danny can hear him looking through the bottles scattered on the floor but it hurts too much to open his eyes. All he can do is grit his teeth and try not to cry out.

Steve's hand is under him, trying to make him sit up. Fuck. No. If he sits up, the pain will be too much. He shakes his head but Steve is persistent. 

“C'mon Danny. You only need to sit up a little. Just for a second. Let me help you get this pill in you.” 

He raises a few inches but it's too much. The pain in his side and gut is like a white hot poker ripping through his body. 

“Fuck!” He can't stop himself from yelling out.

Through the haze of pain he sees Steve searching the pockets of his cargo pants and pulling out a syringe. There's a small pinch that Danny barely feels and then Steve is holding his hand. Danny can't help but squeeze hard but it doesn't seem to phase Steve at all. 

“Fuck. Fuck it hurts. It hurts. It hurts. Fuck.”

“I know babe. Shh. Just breathe.” Steve has his forehead pressed to Danny's temple. Danny can feel each breath Steve takes. He can feel Steve's lips brush against his skin as he whispers.

Then there's blessed pain free blackness.

~H~5~0~

When Danny wakes again it's dark out. The light from the kitchen illuminates the living room just enough for him to see Steve sitting in the recliner, his head back, fast asleep.

Or maybe not. When Danny shifts a little Steve's eyes open and he's instantly alert and on his feet. 

“You OK Danny?”

Danny clears his throat. Hates how fuzzy his mouth feels. He needs a gallon of Listerine. And to piss. 

“Yeah. Just need to piss.”

Danny braces himself for the pain when Steve helps him sit up but the pain is gone. Or rather, barely noticeable. Him and Steve are definitely going to have a talk about keeping syringes filled with narcotics in his pockets. Later of course. Right now, nature calls.

Once Danny is on his feet, they use the same shuffling steps to get him to the downstairs bathroom where, Danny is thankful to see, Steve has laid out a brand new toothbrush on the sink.

He gives Steve a grateful look, pats his side, then walks in alone and shuts the door. He leans against the sink for a few moments because the short trip across the living room wore him out more than he'd like to admit. And that just makes him grouchy.

“I feel you hovering Steven. I can piss and brush my teeth without help thank you very much.” He hears a soft laugh but not the sound of Steve walking away. Asshole.

It takes him three times longer than usual to take care of business but he does it. Without help.

Steve of course is waiting right outside the door when he opens it. He puts his arm around Danny and starts to slowly walk him back to the couch. 

“You hungry Danno?”

“Nah. Just want to sleep.” He eyes the couch then looks at Steve out of the corner of his eye. Maybe he should be a little brave here. Take a tiny baby step in this new whatever it was him and Steve seemed to have started. “Think you can help me up to bed?”

There's a long pause. And once again Danny can't help but think that desire mixed with a little bit of confusion was a really great look on Steve. 

“Yeah Danny. I can do that.” If Steve's voice sounds a little rough, a little strained, Danny isn't going to call him on it.

The stairs are hard. And since when did Steve's house have a hundred of them? It seems to take about an hour but they finally get Danny into Steve's room. Danny's breathing hard and a little sweaty and more than a little wiped out. 

Steve helps him sit on the bed then gives him strict instructions not to lay down yet and jogs out of the room. He's back a few minutes later with Danny's pill bottles and a fresh glass of water.

After making sure Danny takes all the pills he's scheduled to, Steve helps him lay down on his back then crawls into bed next to him. 

He can see Steve watching him in his peripheral vision. He blinks. Steve is no longer looking at him but Danny can tell he's awake. He blinks again. Steve is still not sleeping. And he's back to watching Danny. Which should be kind of creepy but somehow, it's not.

“Sleep babe.”

“I can't.”

Danny wishes he could turn to face Steve but moving is not easy and sleeping on his side is not a good idea right now. Instead, he reaches over and rubs his thumb lightly across Steve's cheekbone.

“I've taken my meds. You can stand down for a few hours before my next dose is due.”

“I know that Danny. I just can't sleep, OK?”

And suddenly Danny gets it. The last time they were here, in this bed, Danny wasn't there when Steve woke up. Steve the beautiful, insecure bastard was worried it was going to happen again. 

“Hey, c'mere. Come here,” Danny whispers waving his hand. 

Steve shuffles a few inches closer. Danny rolls his eyes. Difficult or not, it looked like he was going to have to make the first move. 

He slowly turns onto his side then reaches out to run his fingers through Steve's hair. Steve closes his eyes and leans into it. For that brief moment, he looks so vulnerable, so fragile. It's heartbreakingly beautiful. Danny's not going to fuck this up again.

He curls his hand around the back of Steve's neck and pulls him close. Close enough to finally press his lips to Steve's again for the first time in over a year. 

Like their first kiss, it's slow. Gentle. Just the two of them relearning each others taste and feel. It's not leading to anything. Not tonight. Danny couldn't get it up even if his wounds would allow for some bedroom activity. 

When Danny's body starts to protest being on his side for too long he pulls away. The small whimper he hears in the back of Steve's throat breaks his heart just a little bit more.

“Hey, I'm not going anywhere,” he whispers when Steve opens his eyes. 

He rolls onto his back and Steve arranges himself so his head is on Danny's shoulder, his legs are tangled up in Danny's, and his arm is carefully draped over Danny's torso. 

Danny's tempted to make a joke about being in bed with a koala bear but he knows Steve needs this. Hell, he needs it too.

He can feel when Steve finally falls asleep but he lays there for awhile, his fingers tracing patterns up and down Steve's back.

All the what ifs and the dark thoughts start to fill his mind but he pushes them away. 

Maybe him and Steve won't work out. Maybe they will. There's no way to know for sure unless he gives them a chance. And that's what he plans to do. 

Because he wasn't lying. He does love this broken, flawed, beautiful man. 

And he's going to start proving that by being here when Steve when wakes up.

**Author's Note:**

> This is unbeta'd as my beta Janet is the recipient of this fic. I tried to catch errors but it's very possible I missed some. Since I'm too lazy to research medical terms and procedures, I'm sure nothing hospital related is in any way realistic. But hey, if Steve can jump out of a moving ambulance after being shanked in 2.01, I can bend medical reality how I see fit as well.


End file.
